November 9, 2012

Maybe you think an artist should hold himself above commercial advertising. I'm not especially puritanical on the subject, but I don't like to see the artist's most holy songs sold out. It hurt me circa 1980 when Orange Slice — was it Orange Slice? — used "Good Vibrations." But "The Times They Are A-Changin'" is not the most sacred Dylan. And it kind of always was an advertisement. And when I think what are his holiest, unsell-out-able works, I have a hard time. If some glue company did something with "Stuck Inside of Mobile..." I think I would laugh.

Do they even pack real fruit any more? I haven't seen their purple name stamped on lemons in years.

Steve Goodman's paean to the romance of railroads, "City of New Orleans," was twisted in service of some automobile. "Don't you know me, I'm your native car?" No I don't know you, Buick or Mercury or whoever you are, You killed the railroads, America's true native son.

But the absolute worst was Melanie's "Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma," which became "Look What They've Done to My Oatmeal" in service to Quaker Oat Squared.

Mighty Taco in Buffalo, NY used to do commercials to famous songs--the one that always stuck out to me the most was the commercial done to the tune of "Desolation Row."

It's notable, mainly because the vast majority of Dylan fans consider either Desolation Row or Visions of Johanna to be the best song he's ever written. It's all subjective, of course, but Desolation Row will always be #1 to me.